Halas

ARTICLES ABOUT HALAS BY DATE - PAGE 5

Cedric Benson's story certainly is not unique in today's NFL as a disturbing pattern of entitlement appears to exist among many players coming out of college. The Bears took Gale Sayers with the fourth overall pick of the 1965 NFL draft. Forty years later, Benson was the fourth overall pick. Sayers was paid $25,000 his rookie year. He stayed out of trouble during the off-season and took a second job to help provide for his family. Benson, after holding out through his first training camp, signed a $35 million deal with $16 million in bonuses.

Bears running back Cedric Benson had nothing to say about his latest arrest on alcohol-related charges after being reached by phone Sunday evening. He did say the latest episode in his turbulent off-season will not prevent him from participating in organized team activities Monday. There is considerable speculation that the Halas Hall appearance might be his last as a Bear. Benson's football fate could be determined this week as facts are gathered pertaining to his Saturday morning arrest in Austin, Texas, on charges of driving while intoxicated.

If you're still waiting for your tax refund to come through before booking that trip to Hawaii, there's still a way to invoke that South Pacific spirit thanks to this eccentric tiki bar in the burbs that serves up a huge menu of tropical concoctions, such as the Pineapple Boomerang and the Surfrider, that are sure to transport you to the islands. 2834 River Rd., River Grove; 708-456-3222, www.hala-kahiki.com.

The most fun about mock drafts is mocking the outlandish choices the people putting them together often make. Nobody knows; nobody can. It's the NFL draft, maybe the most speculative exercise in all of sports. In that spirit, here's one assessment of the five key position groups the Bears need to target with their first six picks. Offensive tackle If ever there were a year for the Bears to need an offensive tackle in the first round, this is it. Most analysts have four prospects going in the first round, with two likely still available when the Bears draft 14th.

James R. Halas Sr., age 78, of Skokie, retired Chief of Police, Village of Skokie, beloved husband of the late Yvonne, nee Marth; dear father of James R. Jr. (Susan), Catherine Ann (William) Carrano and the late Stephen J.; loving grandfather of Jennifer (Rob) Steins, Anthony (Jennifer) and James (Melissa); cherished great-grandfather of Kaitlyn and Emma; fond brother of Peter, Ann "Deedee" Ezekiel, the late George and Walter "Mike". Visitation Friday, 2 to 9 p.m. at Haben Funeral Home & Crematory, 8057 Niles Center Road, Skokie.

In the glow of a Super Bowl trip, seated in front of the National Football Conference trophy named for her father, Virginia Halas McCaskey allowed herself a moment of satisfaction Wednesday. The only daughter of Bears founder George Halas, Virginia McCaskey, 84, attended her first NFL championship game at 9 in 1932 (this sentence as published has been corrected in this text). The Bears have won nine titles since her father pioneered pro football in 1920, but if they beat the Indianapolis Colts on Feb. 4 in Miami, the championship will be the first won solely under the leadership of the McCaskey family.

Though the trophy itself has been presented for more than three decades to the winner of the National Football Conference title game, it wasn't renamed after Halas, the first president of the NFC, until 1984, shortly after his death in October 1983. The first George S. Halas Trophy was awarded on Jan. 6, 1985, to the San Francisco 49ers after they beat the Bears 23-0. The NFL also renamed the AFC trophy after Lamar Hunt, who was the first president of AFC. Source: Awards, Honors and Prizes, Volume 1

Yes, Virginia, there will be another chance for you to see the Bears in the Super Bowl. Virginia McCaskey, daughter of Bears founder George Halas, graciously accepted the NFC championship trophy named in honor of her father after Sunday's 39-14 victory over the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field. "I'm speechless, I really am," said Mrs. McCaskey, 83. "It's just lovely. That's what we've been working for for a long time. Lovie [Smith] always said there was never a doubt, so there we are."

Coach Lovie Smith was hired on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2004, and remarked on the occasion this week. Though he did not exactly deliver his own "I have a dream" speech Friday, he does indeed have a dream. "My dream is the Chicago Bears being presented with the [NFC champion] George Halas Trophy at Soldier Field," Smith said, "and for [Halas' daughter] Virginia McCaskey to accept [it]." Smith and his players will play for that trophy on Sunday. In the meantime, they went through their first national media session on Friday, and some questions left them a bit puzzled.